Read Online Silent Fall by Barbara Freethy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barbara Freethy
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possible murderer or assault suspect staying in the hotel was bad for business.
"Iâll go up and pack." He paused. "Has there been any new information on the missing woman? Did the sheriff search the woods?"
The woman hesitated, then shook her head. "I know some people have been looking, but I donât think they found anything."
"Thatâs too bad," he muttered. "Thanks."
"No problem. I hope everything was satisfactory for your stay."
"It was just dandy," Dylan drawled as he walked away. "Apparently Iâm presumed guilty until Iâm proven innocent," he said to Catherine as they headed across the lobby and got in the elevator. "Management definitely doesnât want me hanging around."
"But the sheriff does. Where will you stay?" She groaned at his pointed smile. "Not with me."
"Hopefully it wonât be for long. Once things are cleared up, Iâll return to San Francisco, and youâll get back to your life."
"What if things arenât settled before tonight?"
"How do you feel about having a roommate?"
"Not thrilled. My room has only one bed, so youâll be sleeping on the floor," she warned.
"If you insist." He grinned as her cheeks flushed. She certainly wore her emotions on her face. He wondered what had gotten her so worked up now. He knew he should leave it alone, but he couldnât help himself. He liked seeing her rattled. He didnât appreciate being the only one off balance. "Is it me you donât trust, Catherine? Or yourself?"
"What? You think I canât resist you?"
"Itâs a question."
"A stupid question. Maybe if you werenât always thinking about sex, you wouldnât be in this mess. Did you ever consider that? If you hadnât slept with Erica and avoided her calls, she might not have been inclined to help anyone set you up for murder."
"I told you before, she didnât do this because I didnât call her back. She wasnât in love with me. We werenât having a relationship. We were both on the same page."
"Or so you thought. Never underestimate the fury of a woman scorned. When you tell a woman youâre going to call her, you should call her."
"Just for the record, I didnât tell her I would call her." He followed her off the elevator. "I donât make promises I canât keep." He paused. "It sounds like youâre speaking from personal experience. Have you missed a few calls over the years?"
"Men can be pigs sometimes."
He smiled at her bluntness. He liked the way Catherine didnât mince words. "Donât tell me youâve waited for the phone to ring?" He suspected she had too much pride for that.
"When I was young and stupid," she admitted. "But not anymore."
"You donât have a high opinion of men, do you?"
"Not the ones who have been in my life. Iâve never met one yet who would stick around when things got tough."
"Maybe you havenât met the right man."
"Are you suggesting that would be you?"
"No," he said quickly, although he had to admit heâd always liked a challenge, and heâd love to prove Catherine wrong. If he wanted to stick, he could. At least, he thought he could. Oh, who the hell was he kidding? He didnât know if he had it in him to stay with anyone. Because it wasnât just the staying part that bothered him; it was all the rest of it -- the emotional investment, the intimacy, the sharing of thoughts and feelings, the constant pressure, the incessant need to make someone happy. Shit ! Who wanted that?
Shaking the distracting thoughts from his mind, he slipped his key card into the lock and opened the door. His room was not at all as heâd left it, which had been neat and in order. Heâd arrived at the hotel the day before only an hour before the wedding ceremony and had used the room simply to change his clothes.
So who had messed up his bed, tossing around the covers, the blankets, and the pillows? Who had moved his computer out of its case and onto
"Iâll go up and pack." He paused. "Has there been any new information on the missing woman? Did the sheriff search the woods?"
The woman hesitated, then shook her head. "I know some people have been looking, but I donât think they found anything."
"Thatâs too bad," he muttered. "Thanks."
"No problem. I hope everything was satisfactory for your stay."
"It was just dandy," Dylan drawled as he walked away. "Apparently Iâm presumed guilty until Iâm proven innocent," he said to Catherine as they headed across the lobby and got in the elevator. "Management definitely doesnât want me hanging around."
"But the sheriff does. Where will you stay?" She groaned at his pointed smile. "Not with me."
"Hopefully it wonât be for long. Once things are cleared up, Iâll return to San Francisco, and youâll get back to your life."
"What if things arenât settled before tonight?"
"How do you feel about having a roommate?"
"Not thrilled. My room has only one bed, so youâll be sleeping on the floor," she warned.
"If you insist." He grinned as her cheeks flushed. She certainly wore her emotions on her face. He wondered what had gotten her so worked up now. He knew he should leave it alone, but he couldnât help himself. He liked seeing her rattled. He didnât appreciate being the only one off balance. "Is it me you donât trust, Catherine? Or yourself?"
"What? You think I canât resist you?"
"Itâs a question."
"A stupid question. Maybe if you werenât always thinking about sex, you wouldnât be in this mess. Did you ever consider that? If you hadnât slept with Erica and avoided her calls, she might not have been inclined to help anyone set you up for murder."
"I told you before, she didnât do this because I didnât call her back. She wasnât in love with me. We werenât having a relationship. We were both on the same page."
"Or so you thought. Never underestimate the fury of a woman scorned. When you tell a woman youâre going to call her, you should call her."
"Just for the record, I didnât tell her I would call her." He followed her off the elevator. "I donât make promises I canât keep." He paused. "It sounds like youâre speaking from personal experience. Have you missed a few calls over the years?"
"Men can be pigs sometimes."
He smiled at her bluntness. He liked the way Catherine didnât mince words. "Donât tell me youâve waited for the phone to ring?" He suspected she had too much pride for that.
"When I was young and stupid," she admitted. "But not anymore."
"You donât have a high opinion of men, do you?"
"Not the ones who have been in my life. Iâve never met one yet who would stick around when things got tough."
"Maybe you havenât met the right man."
"Are you suggesting that would be you?"
"No," he said quickly, although he had to admit heâd always liked a challenge, and heâd love to prove Catherine wrong. If he wanted to stick, he could. At least, he thought he could. Oh, who the hell was he kidding? He didnât know if he had it in him to stay with anyone. Because it wasnât just the staying part that bothered him; it was all the rest of it -- the emotional investment, the intimacy, the sharing of thoughts and feelings, the constant pressure, the incessant need to make someone happy. Shit ! Who wanted that?
Shaking the distracting thoughts from his mind, he slipped his key card into the lock and opened the door. His room was not at all as heâd left it, which had been neat and in order. Heâd arrived at the hotel the day before only an hour before the wedding ceremony and had used the room simply to change his clothes.
So who had messed up his bed, tossing around the covers, the blankets, and the pillows? Who had moved his computer out of its case and onto
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